The Human Be-In was a gathering in Golden Gate Park on January 14, 1967 in which the world was invited to join in spiritual togetherness. A prelude to the San Francisco Summer of Love, the gathering promoted key ideas of the counterculture. Music, dance, and spoken word conveyed these messages. Timothy Leary, set the tone for the Human Be-In with his famous phrase "Turn on, tune in, drop out."

Thousands of people flocked to the corner of Haight and Ashbury during the Summer of Love, but few saw the unfolding phenomenon as clearly as Gene Anthony did. From his apartment one block up the hill, he witnessed the extraordinary pilgrimage of young people from across the country as they trooped to San Francisco in search of answers, approval and love, and he captured the compelling vignettes through his telling lens. Anthony's photographic talent, subjects and well-deserved acclaim extend far beyond the psychedelic period, but his ability to capture a mood on a face or the essence of an era from a simple street sign was recognized and refined during that time. His photographs have, in turn, become the myriad faces of the Summer of Love.